The one-two punch of hurricanes Helene and Milton could test the Biden administration’s ability to quickly deploy emergency funds for roads and bridges devastated by subsequent natural disasters as a federal disaster relief program’s coffers dwindle.
The Federal Highway Administration’s emergency fund, intended to give immediate help to communities devastated by a disaster that’s ripped up roads and bridges, currently has about $84 million left to respond to Milton and whatever comes after, along with another $94 million that will be available in the coming weeks. The agency has already handed out $134 million in a starting round of relief for Hurricane Helene alone.
In a press conference at the Department of Transportation on Thursday, Secretary Pete Buttigieg said he isn’t concerned about the immediate health of the fund. “We’re on top of anything that’s coming in right away. I’m confident that we can meet any quick release requests that come in from Florida, for example, over Milton,” along with tens of millions already handed out for Tennessee and North Carolina.
But Buttigieg conceded that “we don’t expect that it’s anywhere close to the total picture” that will eventually be needed. He pointed to the White House’s recent $3 billion request for an emergency supplemental that will help deal with these and other disasters, such as the bridge collapse in Baltimore earlier this year.
